1. Field
The present application relates generally to battery charging and more particularly pertains to systems providing a user with control over when the battery of a hybrid vehicle is charged.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hybrid vehicles are becoming increasingly popular among consumers concerned with their environmental impact. Hybrid vehicles utilize an internal combustion engine in conjunction with an electric propulsion system. Through this hybrid system, hybrid vehicles achieve better fuel economy over a conventional vehicle, which helps reduce the carbon footprint of an individual by lessening the creation of toxic byproducts normally generated when operating a conventional vehicle utilizing only an internal combustion engine. The electric propulsion system can be powered by a battery, which requires recharging. In hybrid vehicles, hybrid system control logic monitors a battery state of charge to determine when to recharge the battery. The hybrid system control logic activates an engine to charge the battery as needed. In certain performance ranges, the engine is forced to turn on in order to charge the battery. This allows a driver to drive the vehicle without having to constantly or actively manage a battery state of charge. The driver does not directly control when the battery is charged.
The normal hybrid system control logic automatically determines when to charge the battery to maintain the battery state of charge. However, certain driving maneuvers may require more power than available from the normal battery state of charge. For instance, when driving the vehicle in reverse, such as reverse parking on an incline or reversing with a trailer, the vehicle may require more power than expected for common maneuvers. Unfortunately, if the battery state of charge is diminished, the driver may have difficulty performing such reversing maneuvers because the vehicle may not have sufficient power to do so. The driver may be better able to anticipate or recognize when such maneuvers will be performed. Thus, there is a need for allowing the driver to manually activate the engine in order to charge the battery at a desired time.